RUNAWAY Lyrics
I've been searching, nothing’s working
I've been tripping, no one's perfect
Chasing vision, just the surface
Shirt’s on backwards, not on purpose, yeah
But I've been learning something bigger
In expectation, feet are failing
But I found blessings flowing from
This side of heaven
[Pre-Chorus]
Staring into my reflection, redirecting my perfection somewhere else
When there isn't any progress, lean in truth inside the promise, it is well
[Chorus]
I hold my life out in front of me, dreams of who I wanna be
I'm seeing every empty page
But I find that everything I am is everything I should be
Yeah, I don't need to run away
I don't need to run away
Yeah, I don't need to run away
[Verse 2]
Something's working, heart is turning
Vision’s clearing, still I’m learning
That what I am, what I am, what I am, what I am
Is something more than I can plan
Go, tell me now
I don't need to run away
I’ve been standing on a stage with just a mirror, forced to face who I've become
Searching for a new escape, I scan the exits that embrace an easy out
[Chorus]
I hold my life out in front of me, dreams of who I wanna be
I'm seeing every empty page
But I find that everything I am is everything I should be
Yeah, I don't need to run away
I don’t need to run away
(I don't need to run away)
I don't need to run away
I don't need to run away
I don't need to run away
I don't need to run away
I don't need to run away
About
“RUNAWAY” was the third single to be released from half•alive’s debut studio album, Now, Not Yet, following their breakthrough single “still feel.” and “arrow.” Prior to its studio release, the track had been performed at live shows.
On “RUNAWAY,” lead singer Josh Taylor is forced to face his imperfection and lack of progression, becoming content with who he is and realizing that he does not need to “run away” from himself or his vision.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Yes! half•alive performed “RUNAWAY” at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
The concept for the "RUNAWAY" music video all came from our imaginations. All three of us collaborated in writing the concept, and Josh spearheaded the story as the director and primary visionary. The real connection between the song and the video comes from the chorus lyrics: "I find that everything I am is everything I should be, I don’t need to run away.“ In the video, the daughter, Jess has been running away from her true identity as a beloved child her entire life. Her father, Francis, who got drafted in WWII knew that he might never come back, so he wrote a series of letters to her, intending for her to open one on each birthday for 20 years. Inside were words of affirmation and guidance, telling her who she really is and where she can find her confidence from. But Jess was furious with her father for leaving, so she didn’t open the letters until her 24th birthday. It then when she understood her father’s love for her, and subsequently, who she was in light of that. Finally, she realizes, "I don’t need to RUNAWAY.”
–half•alive via off the cuff
